Oswalt gets the support he sought; Phillies sweep Astros

PHILADELPHIA — Roy Oswalt printed his own ticket out of Houston in search of run support, and Sunday in his first ever start against the Astros, he found it.

In fact, Oswalt had enough support by the time the first inning was over as the Phillies completed a thorough season-opening sweep of the Astros with a 7-3 victory.

Just like last year when they began 0-8, the Astros were swept in convincing fashion to open the season — this time getting outscored 21-11 by a Phillies team that showed more pop than expected to go with unrelenting starting pitching.

Oswalt simply kept the train rolling, pitching with that big lead that he found elusive on the low-scoring Astros last year. By the time he stepped on the mound for his second inning of work, his teammates had already had a 4-0 lead against an ineffective Bud Norris, and that proved to be enough.

“Any time you get five or six runs, it gives you a little bit of cushion to work with, especially when you score some runs early like we have the last two games,” Oswalt said.

Oswalt, whose trade request went public last May and who was shipped to the Philles at the July trading deadline, allowed two earned runs on five hits in six innings, walking one and striking out seven. He got the win, which did not go without saying last year when with the Astros, he gave up two earned runs eight times and went 3-5 in those games.

“Last year they gave me one and I couldn’t hold it,” Oswalt said. “When you get two or three runs, you feel like you should be able to get through six or seven innings and keep the game pretty close.”

The support he got on Sunday allowed him to take an aggressive approach. The only Astros hitter who really had himself a day against him was Hunter Pence, who homered in the fourth inning and started a rally that fizzled at one run in the sixth.

The rest of the hitters were for the most part held down, though Chris Johnson and Bill Hall contributed doubles. Johnson said it was a little strange to face his former teammate.

“It was weird, a little awkward,” Johnson said. “Because when I got called up, he was one of the guys who was so good to me and always telling me stuff and taking care of me. So it was weird.”

After saying all week that there would be little of sentimental value to the matchup, the business-like Oswalt caved a bit after the game.

“I really didn’t know what to expect when I got out there,” said Oswalt, who left one win shy of Joe Niekro’s club record 143 and has a strong argument for being the greatest pitcher in Astros history. “It was a little bit different, being there for so long. And I still know some of the faces over there. When you first start facing some of the guys you played with it’s like spring training. … You know some of their weaknesses and their strengths and they kind of know you, too.”

Whether or not the Phillies had that familiarity with Norris from facing him six days earlier in spring training, they certainly hit him hard, jumping on fastballs early in the game.

Ryan Howard crushed a 3-0 fastball into the Phillies bullpen for a three-run homer in the first inning, and Ben Francisco followed two batters later with a solo shot to left on an 0-2 count.

From there, Norris settled down, but far too late with Oswalt on the mound.

“He came out throwing the ball extremely well and felt so good that he tried to overpower some guys and kind of got away from it,” manager Brad Mills said. “When he started pitching a little bit more, he really did a good job.”

Norris finished with five runs to his name in just four innings of work – the second straight day that the Astros starter couldn’t get past 12 outs.

J.A. Happ will look to break the starting pitching funk on Tuesday when the Astros play the Cincinnati Reds — a team they already trail by three games.